MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Mulerider Men's Basketball team is gearing up for an action-packed weekend as they open home play with a pair of matchups at the W.T. Watson Center! The excitement kicks off on Friday at 6 PM when they face off against Ecclesia College, followed by a showdown against Arlington Baptist at 5 PM on Saturday. With the home crowd behind them, the Muleriders are ready to bring the heat and showcase their skills on the court.
 
Ecclesia College (0-4)
>>> The Royals have begun their season 0-4 with losses on the road against College of the Ozarks (51-105), Central Baptist College (61-114), Randall University (55-82), and Williams Baptist College (51-94).
>>> The last meeting between the Muleriders and the Royals was last season in Magnolia as the Blue and Gold handled business in an 83-48 victory. SAU secured the much-needed dominating performance after having narrowly defeated Arlington Baptist the night before (78-77).
>>> The Muleriders and Ecclesia College have had their history in the past few decades as the two men's programs will meet for the sixth time. Southern Arkansas has been victors in all six meetings with the largest victory happening in 2012-13 as SAU handled the Royals 105-58.
>>> Last campaign, the Royals went on to finish 5-19 overall with their triumph over the Patriots from Arlington Baptist in an offensive showdown. The final of that contest ended up being 100-95, Royals. The Patriots would get back at the Royals in early January by a final of 89-93.
 
Arlington Baptist (1-2)
>>> The Patriots make their return to the W.T. Watson Center after giving all Mulerider fans a scare in last season's bout.
>>> Arlington Baptist pushed Southern Arkansas to the brink, as ABU was downed by the Blue and Gold by just one point in the 2023 meeting.
>>> The Pats have started their new campaign 2024-25 at 1-1 with a close loss to Texas College (60-65), located in Tyler, Texas, and a narrow win at Centenary College in Shreveport (78-75).
>>> So far this season, the Pats have been led by scoring through Gary Gray. The 6' 2" sophomore has cashed in 34 points through ABU's first two games, as the Houston, Texas native accounted for 17 points in both. He has made 50% of his shots from the field as well as 84.2% from the charity stripe.
>>> Gray is also the Patriots leader in rebounds with his 19 total rebounds recorded thus far. He has primarily been effective on the defensive side of the rebounds (12) but also balances out with seven offensive boards.
 
Fresh Chapter
>>> The newest addition to the Mulerider Men's Basketball head coaching history, Mark Rutledge, had quite the early slate at the helm of his career representing the Blue and Gold.
>>> The first-year head coach was tasked with facing the number one ranked team in the nation (also reigning national champions), Minnesota State-Mankato to open the 2024-25 campaign, followed by fellow Northern Sun member Sioux Falls.
>>> The NSIC proved its resilience against Southern Arkansas, but not without the Muleriders giving it their all and proving they can play with the best of them.
>>> SAU's beginning to the '24-25 season opened with a pair of narrow losses (67-71, 68-73) to a pair of well-respected basketball clubs throughout D2.
>>> Southern Arkansas' defense was highlighted in the matches as SAU kept MSU's offense which averaged 84.9 points per game last year to 71 points.
 
Welcome Back to the Watson
>>> He may be Mulerider Men's Basketball's newest head coach, but Coach Rutledge is not unfamiliar with the bedlam that goes on within the W.T. Watson Center.
>>> Rutledge, to begin his coaching career, came to SAU as a graduate assistant under the tenure of Andy Sharpe. The Tulsa native has experienced just how rowdy fans of the Blue and Gold can get when the Muleriders are in town.
>>> Southern Arkansas was not his only stop in the Great American Conference though as he made his way to Henderson State as associate head coach for the Reddies. Rutledge was met with the wild Mulerider crowd on the opposing end.
>>> One last time, Rutledge was most recently the associate head coach at Angelo State, in which the Rams traveled to Magnolia this last November and left after hitting a game-winning three to defeat SAU 64-63.
>>> Now, Mark Rutledge makes his official return to the same W.T. Watson Center where his career began, but this time with the title of Head Coach.
>>> The first-year head coach's overall record while being in the Watson, whether assistant or associate, is currently at 13-6 as the Sooner State native went 10-4 under Andy Sharpe during the 2017-18 season, 2-2 while at Henderson State (2018-22), and 1-0 at Angelo State (2022-24).